Tobacco Bill To Become Law In June
The Minister for Health, Dr George Sipa Yankey, has pledged his Ministry's commitment towards the passage of the Tobacco Bill into law by the end of June 2009. The Bill, when passed, will constitute the legal framework for the enforcement of tobacco control activities in Ghana.
Additionally, the Ministry will soon distribute publications on tobacco effect on health, as well as the body, of the smoker to all public schools and offices in the country.
Dr Yankey was speaking at this year's national launch of the 'World No Tobacco Day' held in Accra yesterday.
Themed, 'Tobacco Health Warnings', the programme seeks to raise awareness on the harmful effects of tobacco consumption, and to provide the opportunities for Governments and other stakeholders in the health sector, to join hands with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to take action against the rising trend of the tobacco epidemic.
Dr Yankey stated that the health risks of tobacco smoking are vastly under-estimated by the public and even those who are responsible for the promotion and protection of public health. 'The worldwide tobacco epidemic must be seriously addressed not only by the Ministry of Health, but also by all current and potential partners', he added.
The Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Elias Sory, expressed concern about the effects of tobacco such as cancer of the throat and mouth, lungs, miscarriages and premature births.
He mentioned that health warnings on tobacco product packaging are critical to any effective tobacco control strategy and that the GHS will organise a series of programmes to encourage Ghanaians to participate more in tobacco control programmes.